Ariana Grande Opens Up About Her Debilitating Anxiety After The Manchester Bombing

In an exclusive interview with Elle Magazine, 25-year-old singer and pop icon Ariana Grande speaks candidly about the anxiety she’s experienced since the Manchester Arena bombing on May 22, 2017.

The suicide bombing occurred a little over a year ago now, while concertgoers were leaving Manchester Arena after a concert on Grande’s Dangerous Woman tour. According to the BBC, the bombing claimed the lives of 22 innocent people and wounded countless others. Many of the victims were children.

Here’s a link to the article published in the August 2018 issue of Elle:

In the interview, Grande says she hardly spoke for the two days following the bombing. Then the anxiety set in.

She told Elle:

When I got home from tour, I had really wild dizzy spells, this feeling like I couldn’t breathe. I would be in a good mood, fine and happy, and they would hit me out of nowhere. I’ve always had anxiety, but it had never been physical before. There were a couple of months straight where I felt so upside down.

Experiencing a tragedy like the Manchester Arena bombing firsthand is nothing like seeing it or reading about it in the news. Grande explained:

You hear about these things. You see it on the news, you tweet the hashtag. It’s happened before, and it’ll happen again. It makes you sad, you think about it for a little, and then people move on. But experiencing something like that firsthand, you think of everything differently…

Wow when she talked about Manchester I cried. I love her so much. She is the sweetest ☁️ & these pictures are everything

Grande is a firm believer in using her platform to speak out politically. She has become a strong advocate for gun reform as well as Black Lives Matter.

For a brief time following the bombing, it was uncertain whether or not she would continue to perform, but Grande only gained a new strength and sense of purpose, returning to the greater Manchester area just two weeks after the bombing to perform at the One Love Manchester benefit concert she organized. The proceeds from the concert went to aid the victims of the tragedy and their families.

She described the act of getting back onstage as “terrifying,” and credits her fans for giving her courage.

Through tears, she said:

It’s the most inspiring thing in the world that these kids pack the venue. They’re smiling, holding signs saying, ‘Hate will never win.’ Why would I second-guess getting on a fucking stage and being there for them? That city, and their response? That changed my life.

So beautiful. These types of interviews always leave me in tears. Ari is such a strong, inspiring woman, and I couldn’t be prouder

I love how absolutely gorgeous she looks. Awesome job to the photog and of course, Ariana for making sweet love to the camera, lol. She's a natural. I'm proud of her and the positive influence she spreads. There's no doubt in my mind that she is making the world a better place!

I don't care what Some people say Ariana Grande is a Beautiful woman inside and out and Her brother is Gay and she is a friend to the LGBTQ community and her voice and songs give me hope So I love her she is awesome!